The Cleveland Cavaliers made their first move of what could be a busy trade deadline. De’Andre Hunter, who’s been in trade rumors for weeks, was dealt to the Sacremento Kings in exchange for Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis. The Cavs also had to send the Denver Nuggets’ 2027 second-round pick to the Chicago Bulls to make the deal work.
There are three main benefits to this deal for the Cavs:
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It adds a proven backup point guard who can attack off the dribble
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Bolsters a poor perimeter defense
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Helps the Cavs save money this season and possibly next
Schroder will help the Cavs immensely. The Lonzo Ball experiment has been a disaster. The scoring just hasn’t been there as his three-point shot has completely fallen off a cliff. That has been problematic since he doesn’t have the athleticism to get inside and finish in the paint anymore.
Ball wasn’t brought in for his scoring, but, you can’t be the orchestrator of an offense if defenses don’t respect that you can make them pay for leaving you open. This has led to him being benched recently for Craig Porter Jr., who isn’t ready to be a top-eight rotation player on a contending team.
Schroder solves this issue. He’s a bona fide backup point guard who can create for himself and others off the dribble. He also brings plenty of playoff experience, which is something this group needs.
The 6’4” Ellis is more of a wildcard. He’s a 26-year old, undrafted fourth-year swingman who’s an incredible perimeter defender. That’s an area where the Cavs could use help.
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To say Ellis is disruptive is an understatement. He’s currently in the 95th percentile for blocks and 96th percentile for steals for wings.
Despite his defensive skills, the Kings weren’t giving Ellis the minutes he deserved. He was averaging just 17.6 minutes with Sacremento this season, which is down from the 24.4 he was getting the year before.
Ellis isn’t a well-rounded offensive player, although he is a three-point threat. He’s a career 41.6% outside shooter and is connecting on 36.8% of his threes this season.
The move also saves the Cavs nearly $50 million in luxury tax payments this season, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks. That number could be more if the Cavs can find someone to take Lonzo Ball’s $10 million contract for this season.
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This trade doesn’t get the Cavs out of the second apron. They’re still over by $13.9 million. However, it does give them more breathing room this offseason.
Schroder is making $10 million less than Hunter next season. Ellis will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer, but is eligible for an extension starting next week. How much future money the Cavs save for next season remains to be seen. This move could help them get under the second apron in the offseason if that’s their goal.
Those benefits came at the cost of Hunter.
Things weren’t working between the Cavs and Hunter. He struggled with his shot at the start of the season, and it never really felt like he bought into the team’s vision after he was moved back to the bench. Still, it’s fair to wonder if the Cavs ever put Hunter in a position to truly succeed.
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The ideal version of Hunter was someone who could fit alongside their core four of Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen. Hunter had the shooting and size to be the perfect small forward that the team has been looking for to complete that group. That said, he wasn’t given a chance to prove that.
The Cavs played that five-man group just a combined 90 minutes over the last two seasons. That unit did well. They outscored opponents by an outstanding 46 points when they all shared the floor.
Hunter was given a fair shot in the starting lineup. He opened up 23 games with the Cavs this season with just three alongside the core four. Injuries to the other members of that group are mostly to blame for that, but the Cavs didn’t make the most of their various opportunities to see how Hunter worked with that group. That’s frustrating since the little we saw was tantalizing.
Instead, Hunter was mostly asked to be a small-ball power forward — a role that he struggled with immensely. Hunter doesn’t rebound well for his size, which is essential to playing power forward on a team that doesn’t have good guard rebounding.
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Moving on from Hunter leaves little depth at small forward. Jaylon Tyson’s emergence makes Hunter more expendable, but the only other players you’re okay giving small forward minutes to in the playoffs are Ellis, Dean Wade, and Max Strus. If you could guarantee perfect health for Wade and Strus in the playoffs, that wouldn’t be a concern.
Still, the Cavs are a more well-rounded team after the move. They needed the skills that both new players bring, and are also in a better financial position because of it. It’s not easy to find deals that accomplish both goals.
Overall, this trade was a win, but it’s difficult to see it as a homerun. Not figuring out how to make things work with Hunter was a swing and a miss. The Cavs gave up two key rotation players, Caris LeVert and Georges Niang, to acquire Hunter at the deadline last season. In hindsight, that move looks like a disaster.
There’s no reason to throw good money after bad, but last season’s failed trade is going to bump the grade of this one down slightly.
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Grade: B+
